Page 40 - SG Nautilus Issue 47.indb

ISSUE 47 PAGE 38

CAREERS
CAREERS

study while

you work

A work-study programme can provide clarity in
terms of career direction, as well as industry
knowledge not found in textbooks. That is what

Ms Chong Hui Xian has found with one such
course by the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers

“When I came across the Work-Study Programme in
Shipowning, Operating and Broking, I immediately
thought that it was defi nitely worth trying out for,”
enthuses Ms Chong Hui Xian. Armed with a Diploma
in Maritime Business from Singapore Polytechnic,
she successfully applied to be on the programme,
and is currently working in Vantage Shipbrokers,
to which she has been attached since August 2019.
“This programme allows me to learn so much more
about the industry while on the job. At the same
time, I can gain more knowledge from experienced
lecturers from the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers
(ICS) while earning an industry-recognised
qualifi cation that is fully subsidised,” she explains.

CLAIMING HER ROLE
Vantage Shipbrokers, where Ms Chong works,
acts as an intermediary between shipowners and
ship charterers, and handles broking for various
market segments across spot voyage charters,
contracts and time charters. “As the middleman,
we need to have a good understanding of the
clauses in the fi xture (or contract) between
owner and charterer,” she explains. Ms Chong is
a Demurrage & Claims Executive, and her main
functions include submitting shipowners’ claims to
charterers, answering queries from shipowners and
charterers, reminding shipowners to submit claims
and charterers to send settlement details, drafting
contracts for shipowners and charterers, and
bridging communication between shipowners and
charterers to settle disputes.